Carbon Sequestration: Finance

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding from the public purse (a) has been spent and (b) will be spent during the wind up on the Competition One carbon capture and storage project.

Charles Hendry: Just over £60 million has been spent to date. A further £900,000 is expected to be spent during the wind up.

Energy: Prices

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with representatives of Scottish Power on changes in standing charges on energy bills in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the changes in standing charges on energy bills in the last 12 months.

Charles Hendry: DECC Ministers and officials meet with energy suppliers on a regular basis to discuss market issues.
	The setting of the standing charge is a commercial matter for the company itself. However, it is in their interest to set the charge at a reasonable level to avoid their customers from considering the deals offer by other suppliers.
	Ofgem is currently consulting on a range of proposals on tariffs that will reform the energy market to make it simpler and more competitive. The proposals include a requirement for each supplier to offer one standard tariff for each payment method, for which Ofgem will set the standing charge.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what recent estimate his Department has made of the likely cost per household of the introduction of smart meters;
	(2)  what recent estimate his Department has made of the annual saving in energy bills per household as a result of the introduction of smart meters.

Charles Hendry: The Government's updated impact assessment published in August 2013, estimates that the rollout of smart meters to the domestic sector will deliver a net benefit of almost £5 billion, leading to an average bill saving of £22 per household in 2020 and £42 in 2030. This reflects an estimated total gross cost of the domestic rollout of £11 billion, offset by £16 billion in gross benefits. These benefits include the direct savings to households as they are able to use energy more efficiently and the cost savings achieved by energy suppliers which are expected to be passed through to consumers.

Fuel

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration his Department has given to the use of liquid fluoride thorium as an alternative to nuclear fuel.

Charles Hendry: Ultimately it is for the industry to propose what type of fuel to use in any future nuclear reactors, the designs of which would be subject to independent regulatory assessment and acceptance. To date, no potential operator has put forward proposals for a thorium fuelled plant.
	That said, the Department is aware of the potential of thorium fuelled nuclear reactor designs, including those using liquid fluoride thorium fuel, and is in the process of assessing claims regarding its suitability as an alternative to uranium based reactors in the longer term.
	The current view of thorium reactor technologies from the nuclear industry is that, while the science is reasonably sound, developing reactors based on a thorium fuel cycle would carry major technological and commercial risks. The resources required to develop these technologies to the point at which they might be deployed successfully at a commercial scale are also very significant.
	To date, both in the UK and elsewhere in the world, this has prevented private industry and Government from investing significantly in the development of the technology. No thorium reactor design has been implemented beyond relatively small, experimental systems, while many either exist only on paper or have only had specific subsystems demonstrated. As an indicator of the challenge of taking this technology further, the Chinese Academy of Sciences estimates a development period of at least 20 years will be required before a demonstration thorium molten salt breeder reactor might be available.
	While thorium does not appear to have a part to play in the UK's near to mid-term energy market, we do maintain an interest in its development. The Secretary of State has asked the NNL to look further into the wider benefits of next generation reactor designs and to compare the use of thorium and uranium fuels in them. We are expecting the findings to be available in due course.

Green Deal Scheme

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to ensure small and medium-sized enterprises can participate in the Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: SME's will play a key role in delivering a successful Green Deal and the Department has been actively engaging all types of businesses to ensure that our approach is as flexible as possible and does not create unnecessary barriers.
	During the consultation period we will also be holding a number of events, including with SME representatives to explore some of the potential business models they may wish to consider.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of green deal assessors needed to meet the objectives for participation in the green deal.

Gregory Barker: The green deal is a market-led initiative, therefore the number of green deal assessors required will vary depending on the size of this market. A healthy green deal market will provide substantial opportunities for those looking to become green deal assessors, in both full-time and part-time roles.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what advice on competition law his Department has received on the decision to have a single Green Deal finance provider.

Gregory Barker: The Department is actively and openly engaging with a broad range of potential financiers for the Green Deal and has not taken a decision to have a single provider for Green Deal finance.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made in meeting the Kyoto protocol targets on the emission of fluorinated greenhouse gases since 1990.

Richard Benyon: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK has fully implemented a comprehensive EU regulatory framework that has been in place since May 2006 to control emissions, as part of the EU's commitments under the Kyoto protocol. The major focus is to minimise emissions of fluorinated (F) gases from products and equipment. This is mainly carried out through containment, leak reduction and repair and recovery of F gases.
	In 1995, UK F gas emissions were 17.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (mt CO2e). The late 1990s saw a sharp drop as the two plants in the UK that produced the ozone depleting substance R22 installed equipment that captured and destroyed F gas emissions created as a by-product of the process, these two plants have since closed. From the end of the 1990s, F gas emissions have been relatively steady. The latest finalised UK greenhouse gas figures are for 2009, and indicate F gas emissions were 11.7mt CO2e. With the recent full implementation of the EU F gas regulatory framework and the impact of technological change, we anticipate significant emissions reductions in the future.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to (a) regulate the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) industry and (b) monitor the difference in prices of LPG across the UK.

Charles Hendry: Regulation is typically introduced where natural monopolies arise. While the gas and electricity transmission and distribution networks are natural monopolies, this is not an issue for LPG supply where the UK has an open and competitive market with regulation by the UK's independent competition authorities who are the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Competition Commission.
	As I noted in my Statement of 18 October, OFT has just published its findings from its market study into the off-grid energy market that includes the market structure and pricing of LPG. The study followed an investigation in 2006 by the Competition Commission into the supply of domestic bulk LPG. The recent market study has found that the Orders made subsequent to the market investigation appear to have substantially increased switching rates for individual tank customers but the OFT will keep the effectiveness of and compliance with the Orders under review. The study highlighted that many pricing concerns with LPG tended to stem from contract terms. The OFT has considered consumer protection issues and is engaging with suppliers to seek improvement in the clarity of contract terms, particularly concerning cancellation and switching rights.

European Union: Powers

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what powers have been repatriated from the EU since May 2010; and what powers have transferred from (a) the UK and (b) other EU member states to the EU since May 2010.

David Lidington: There have not been any changes to the EU treaties since May 2010 which have resulted in a transfer of competence from the EU to the member sates. Following the amendments introduced by the Lisbon treaty, the treaty on the functioning of the European Union now recognises the possibility that the European Union might decide to cease to exercise a competence conferred upon it by the member states and for this competence to be returned to the member states. The final sentence of Article 2(2) TFEU provides that:
	“The Member States shall exercise their competence again to the extent that the Union has decided to cease exercising its competence.”
	Article 5 of the treaty on the European Union makes clear that the Union shall act only within the limits of the competences conferred upon it by the member states under the treaties. The treaties and subsequent amendments thereto have been agreed by the member states by consensus and not by either majority voting or unanimity in the Council of Ministers. There have been no treaties agreed since May 2010 which have transferred competences from the UK to the EU. There has been a decision under the simplified revision procedure to allow for the amendment of Article 136 TFEU. This does not apply to the UK, nor does it transfer any competence from other EU member states to the EU. It remains to be ratified by all member states and therefore is not yet in force.

Agriculture

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with (a) the National Farmers Union and (b) other farming organisations on ensuring a strong domestic market for the produce of British farmers.

James Paice: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), met with the NFU on 15 September where CAP reform was discussed. She also had further discussions on CAP reform with the NFU on 21 September.
	She has also met with the Institute of Grocery Distribution's Policy Issues Council on 21 September when ensuring a strong domestic market for the produce of British farmers was discussed.
	DEFRA officials have regular discussions with the National Farmers Union via forums such as the Quad partnership (along with representatives from the British Retail Consortium and Food and Drink Federation) and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). Discussions are wide ranging covering for example:
	Public Sector Procurement
	Farm Assurance Schemes
	Groceries Code Adjudicator
	Business Development Manager Programme
	Land Release for Community Growing
	Officials intend to have further meetings with NFU and other stakeholders in the near future to discuss the new origin labelling requirements for meat.

Carbon Emissions

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department plans to make a decision on the introduction of regulations requiring mandatory public reporting of greenhouse gas emissions by businesses.

James Paice: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), will announce her decision on the corporate reporting of greenhouse gas emissions later this autumn.

Zoo: Licensing

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the appendices to the final report of the Zoo Licensing Inspectorate's Circus Feasibility Study.

James Paice: The appendices to the circus feasibility study carried out for DEFRA in 2008 to evaluate the potential of an inspection system for circuses contained three inspection reports conducted as part of the study. These inspections were conducted on a confidential basis, and as a consequence we will not release these reports.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he receives any external funding for (a) his ministerial office and (b) his advisers; and what the (i) source and (ii) amount is of any such funding.

Bob Neill: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), does not receive any external funding for his ministerial office or special advisers.

Non-domestic Rates

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on ensuring take-up of small business rate relief.

Bob Neill: As pledged in the coalition agreement, in order to help authorities increase take-up we are, through the Localism Bill, removing the legal requirement for ratepayers to submit an application form in order to claim the relief councils will therefore be free to administer the relief in a way that best serves local businesses and local needs. We are also amending secondary legislation to ensure that all eligible businesses automatically have their bills calculated using the small business multiplier.
	In addition, we have doubled small business rate relief until 30 September 2012. Approximately a third of a million ratepayers are paying no rates for that period.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what obligations local authorities have to provide for Gypsy and Traveller sites following the introduction of new guidelines.

Bob Neill: The Government published their draft new planning policy for traveller sites for consultation in April. A copy is in the Library of the House. The consultation closed in August. We are currently analysing the responses and intend to publish a new policy in due course.
	In the meantime, Circular 01/2006 (Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Caravan Sites) and Circular 04/2007 (Planning for Travelling Showpeople) are extant. However, decision-makers are entitled to have regard to the fact that it is intended to withdraw them and replace them with the draft policy.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what legislative proposals he plans to bring forward that will affect the obligations of local authorities regarding Gypsy and Traveller sites.

Bob Neill: The Localism Bill contains a number of measures aimed at decentralising the planning system and shifting power from central Government back into the hands of individuals, communities and councils. These measures are of general application, and do not apply specifically to traveller sites.
	Such measures include the proposed abolition of regional strategies. This will remove the system of top-down site targets that imposed development on communities and make local authorities responsible for determining the right level of traveller site provision in their area, in consultation with local communities.
	The Government published their draft new planning policy for traveller sites for consultation in April. The consultation closed in August. We are currently analysing the responses and intend to publish a new policy in due course.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the role of the local authority core strategy is in relation to Gypsy and Traveller sites.

Bob Neill: Existing planning policy for traveller sites is set out in Circular 01/2006: ‘Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Caravan Sites’.
	The Government published their draft new planning policy for traveller sites for consultation in April. The draft policy aims to be short, light touch and fair and put the provision of sites back into the hands of local councils in consultation with local communities. The consultation closed in August. We are currently analysing the responses and intend to publish a new policy in due course.
	In the meantime, Circular 01/2006 is extant. However, decision makers are entitled to have regard to the fact that it is intended to withdraw and replace it with the draft policy.

Waste Disposal: Greater London

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the total amount of (a) domestic and (b) commercial refuse (i) collected and (ii) recycled in each London borough in each of the last three years.

Bob Neill: DEFRA hold data on domestic and commercial refuse handled by local authorities within their WasteDataFlow database. Annual data on all individual English local authorities can be accessed online at
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/environment/waste/wrfg23-wrmsannual/
	In addition, a national survey of commercial and industrial waste was carried out by DEFRA in 2009. Data on all business waste generated in London boroughs is included in the report which can be accessed via
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/environment/waste/wrfg03-indcom/
	The WasteDataFlow data on local authority collected waste demonstrates the overall increase in levels of recycling which our new initiative, the Weekly Collection Support Scheme, will also promote. The scheme will encourage councils to combine better weekly services with improved recycling. Detail on this scheme will be available shortly.

Dignitas

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Law Officers’ Departments collect information on the number of people from the UK who travel to Dignitas in Switzerland who are (a) patients and (b) accompanying patients; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Grieve: None of the Law Officers’ Departments collects such information.

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how many letters he has received on funding for civil society organisations within the Law Officers’ Departments’ area of responsibility in each month since 1 June 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Grieve: The Law Officers’ Departments do not fund any civil sector organisations.

Coroners

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many responses to the consultation on the Public Bodies Bill were received in relation to the proposals on the Office of Chief Coroner; and how many such responses (a) supported and (b) opposed the proposals on the Office of Chief Coroner.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice consultation on reforms proposed in the Public Bodies Bill closed on 11 October. Of the 2,742 responses received, 2,646 referred to the Office of the Chief Coroner. 2,607 of these were identical responses from members of the public received via the Royal British Legion campaign website.
	The Department intends to publish their response to the consultation by the end of this year. This will contain a summary of the responses received.
	Details of the consultation can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/reform-public-bodies.htm

Departmental E-mail

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether his Department has determined the causes of the loss of responses emailed to the consultation inbox PBB.Consultation@justice.gsi.gov.uk prior to 20 September 2011;
	(2)  on what date his Department (a) created and (b) activated the mailbox PBB.Consultation@justice.gsi.gov.uk for responses to the consultation on the Public Bodies Bill;
	(3)  whether he considered extending the consultation period for the Public Bodies Bill when it had been established that responses sent to the consultation inbox before 20 September 2011 had been lost;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the number of responses to the Public Bodies Bill consultation that may have been lost;

Jonathan Djanogly: The Public Bodies Bill consultation mailbox was created and activated on 5 July 2011. The consultation was launched on 12 July.
	The non-receipt of some responses e-mailed to the mailbox was due to a mailbox migration to the new Ministry of Justice e-mail exchange service prior to the start of the consultation. There were components missing within the mailbox at the point of migration meaning that some e-mails were not redirected from the legacy system to the new system. These e-mails would have been sent back to the sender and they should have received a non-delivery receipt.
	Ministers were satisfied that the steps taken once the fault was identified meant that extending the consultation was not necessary. A message was sent to some 7,000 stakeholders on 23 September advising them of the fault and requesting that any responses submitted via e-mail were re-sent. A similar message was placed on the consultation page on the Ministry of Justice website. E-mail was not the only available method of submitting responses to the consultation and the fault did not affect the receipt of hard copy responses or the use of the questionnaire that could be completed on the Ministry of Justice website.
	It is not possible to ascertain how many responses were not received. However, only one response was re-submitted that had not already been received.
	Details of the consultation can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/reform-public-bodies.htm

Driving Offences: Insurance

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average fine was imposed by courts in each criminal justice area for using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks in the latest period for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The number of defendants sentenced to a fine and the average (median) fine amount given at all courts by police force area, for using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks, in England and Wales for 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
	Data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring, 2012.
	
		
			 Number of defendants sentenced to a fine and the median  (1)   fine amount imposed at all courts for using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks  (2)  , by police force area, England and Wales 2010  (3,4) 
			 Police force area Fines issued Average fine amount (median) (£) 
			 Avon and Somerset 1,508 173 
			 Bedfordshire 1,350 200 
			 Cambridgeshire 894 200 
			 Cheshire 2,408 290 
			 City of London 367 350 
			 Cleveland 836 165 
			 Cumbria 812 196 
			 Derbyshire 1,683 240 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,196 200 
			 Dorset 1,400 250 
			 Durham 1,040 150 
			 Essex 3,272 200 
			 Gloucestershire 643 200 
			 Greater Manchester 4,271 180 
			 Hampshire 2,820 200 
			 Hertfordshire 2,465 235 
			 Humberside 1,766 170 
			 Kent 3,343 320 
			 Lancashire 3,467 280 
			 Leicestershire 1,336 200 
			 Lincolnshire 1,210 213 
			 Merseyside 3,663 175 
			 Metropolitan Police 21,449 290 
			 Norfolk 1,084 200 
			 North Yorkshire 961 200 
			 Northamptonshire 1,438 300 
			 Northumbria 2,812 160 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,116 200 
			 South Yorkshire 3,002 170 
			 Staffordshire 1,598 200 
			 Suffolk 923 210 
			 Surrey 1,929 300 
		
	
	
		
			 Sussex 2,122 200 
			 Thames Valley 2,042 210 
			 Warwickshire 1,212 323 
			 West Mercia 1,588 205 
			 West Midlands 5,912 200 
			 West Yorkshire 5,631 230 
			 Wiltshire 887 285 
			 Dyfed-Powys 985 200 
			 Gwent 714 163 
			 North Wales 1,463 280 
			 South Wales 3,484 185 
			 England and Wales 105,082 200 
			 (1)  ( )The average fine amount is calculated using a median measure, i.e. the middle value in the ordered list of values. (2) Includes offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988. s.143(2). (3) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences It is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort Is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Per Capita Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost per (a) place and (b) prisoner was in each publicly-run prison in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.

Crispin Blunt: The table provides overall average resource cost per place and cost per prisoner at each public sector prison for financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11 as published in the National Offender Management Service Annual Reports of 2009-10 and 2010-11 under each years Management Information Addendum.
	Cost per place is overall resource expressed in terms of the baseline certified normal accommodation, and cost per prisoner is overall resource expressed in terms of average prisoner population.
	Figures for the two years are not directly comparable due to changes in accounting treatment arising from the Government's Clear Line of Sight initiative.
	
		
			 Cost by establishment (overall resource expenditure) 
			 £ 
			  2010-11 2009-10 
			 Establishment name Cost per place Cost per prisoner Cost per place Cost per prisoner 
			 Acklington 29,497 31,424 32,238 32,632 
			 Ashwel1 19,461 56,425 26,868 80,004 
			 Askham Grange 30,127 37,322 36,963 47,120 
			 Aylesbury 42,158 43,286 48,173 48,716 
			 Bedford 50,854 34,293 55,072 37,462 
			 Belmarsh 67,839 63,736 75,750 69,310 
			 Birmingham 38,312 29,471 41,301 31,789 
			 Blantyre House 35,684 36,203 38,961 39,749 
			 Blundeston 36,412 36,044 40,555 37,568 
			 Brinsford 39,374 41,070 44,890 47,853 
			 Bristol 49,514 35,235 52,476 36,600 
			 Brixton 53,251 40,295 48,550 38,527 
			 Buckley Hall 38,981 35,793 42,720 39,227 
			 Bullingdon 36,946 29,789 41,764 33,607 
			 Bullwood Hall 42,495 41,845 49,204 45,873 
			 Bure 32,682 31,982 109,546 111,201 
			 Canterbury 57,273 36,899 61,366 39,000 
			 Cardiff 49,215 33,336 54,131 36,747 
			 Castington 43,318 88,746 52,065 60,350 
			 Channings Wood 31,851 30,985 34,648 33,411 
			 Chelmsford 44,151 36,557 47,774 39,200 
			 Coldingley 40,804 39,640 44,205 43,121 
			 Cookham Wood 85,588 106,043 81,847 127,269 
			 Dartmoor 31,579 38,002 34,264 35,691 
			 Deerbolt 39,640 42,029 44,363 47,703 
			 Dorchester 66,648 42,709 73,445 45,723 
			 Down view 39,114 46,139 45,160 47,078 
			 Drake Hall 35,208 37,279 37,406 42,257 
			 Durham 50,979 33,177 55,904 34,886 
			 East Sutton Park 39,390 43,251 43,941 48,842 
			 Eastwood Park 45,464 47,244 48,216 52,062 
			 Edmunds Hill 33,139 34,646 37,728 38,943 
			 Erlestoke 31,019 36,700 33,824 34,176 
			 Everthorpe 30,985 27,897 34,911 31,187 
			 Exeter 54,503 33,589 59,195 35,715 
			 Featherstone 30,813 31,756 33,539 33,796 
			 Feltham 56,315 63,471 63,523 74,041 
			 Ford 33,415 37,239 27,118 27,998 
			 Foston Hall 43,659 50,648 49,262 60,679 
			 Frankland 60,626 63,400 72,752 75,600 
			 Full Sutton 64,379 65,675 73,854 75,480 
			 Garth 34,661 33,754 39,467 38,546 
			 Gartree 36,251 36,647 38,708 39,196 
			 Glen Parva 39,790 35,420 43,029 36,392 
			 Gloucester 52,465 40,039 56,954 42,432 
			 Grendon and Springhill 34,272 37,615 38,092 43,208 
			 Guys Marsh 31,621 32,204 36,306 33,034 
			 Haverigg 30,395 30,298 34,014 34,598 
			 Hewell 35,329 30,343 39,681 33,639 
			 Highdown 34,066 32,217 41,548 38,361 
			 Highpoint 29,060 28,653 31,744 31,609 
			 Hindley 48,311 78,476 46,121 83,685 
			 HMP Kennet 111,933 57,825 125,723 65,013 
			 Hollesley Bay 28,618 29,163 32,676 33,510 
			 Holloway 49,508 58,392 59,471 72,837 
			 Holme House 34,527 35,176 41,394 36,946 
			 Hull 41,629 30,983 47,478 34,176 
			 Huntercombe 26,049 63,695 52,943 81,977 
			 Isis 78,350 104,288 n/a n/a 
			 Isle of Wight 37,151 35,102 39,549 37,095 
		
	
	
		
			 Kingston 43,254 43,564 46,629 50,180 
			 Kirkham 30,626 30,918 34,651 34,977 
			 Kirklevington Grange 28,657 29,843 31,737 33,132 
			 Lancaster Castle 63,146 42,828 60,996 41,269 
			 Lancaster Farms 45,017 43,763 54,941 51,743 
			 Latchmere House 31,016 32,222 34,783 36,151 
			 Leeds 41,379 31,292 45,513 33,080 
			 Leicester 59,958 36,373 63,304 37,238 
			 Lewes 34,803 45,970 39,485 38,446 
			 Leyhill 28,482 30,104 31,304 32,907 
			 Lincoln 48,082 34,733 51,409 34,388 
			 Lindholme (+IRC) 29,028 28,022 34,469 32,757 
			 Littlehey 30,614 31,245 38,894 36,380 
			 Liverpool 30,931 29,687 33,311 29,862 
			 Long Lartin 60,345 62,052 66,373 69,331 
			 Low Newton 47,856 62,030 50,963 57,340 
			 Maidstone 30,908 29,437 34,727 33,345 
			 Manchester 51,287 41,401 54,201 42,589 
			 Moorland 31,558 35,530 37,346 36,794 
			 Morton Hall 28,564 43,807 32,985 37,236 
			 Mount (The) 32,479 31,781 37,558 36,803 
			 New Hall 49,710 52,221 56,954 61,821 
			 North Sea Camp 28,217 29,039 28,166 29,358 
			 Northallerton 53,372 40,459 58,942 38,352 
			 Norwich 37,723 31,711 47,457 40,743 
			 Nottingham 47,299 34,197 68,662 47,697 
			 Onley 33,367 34,059 37,275 39,027 
			 Pentonville 45,008 34,078 50,035 38,927 
			 Portland 34,153 43,698 37,677 42,813 
			 Preston 54,369 32,139 60,265 36,083 
			 Ranby 32,966 29,787 35,618 32,114 
			 Reading 58,780 47,626 66,632 50,556 
			 Risley 28,291 27,493 32,032 31,297 
			 Rochester 32,254 36,498 35,842 39,217 
			 Send 42,477 43,585 46,900 48,431 
			 Sheppey 32,168 29,894 38,331 37,102 
			 Shepton Mallet 49,061 43,059 55,216 48,376 
			 Shrewsbury 62,457 36,205 66,038 40,335 
			 Stafford 28,400 28,827 30,824 31,029 
			 Stocken 31,189 29,235 33,973 32,764 
			 Stoke Heath 37,060 42,708 39,642 42,883 
			 Styal 40,126 42,660 46,522 49,066 
			 Sudbury 22,517 22,808 25,553 25,913 
			 Swansea 61,612 37,154 63,886 39,909 
			 Swinfen Hall 34,461 33,369 38,436 37,398 
			 Thorn Cross 36,295 40,995 41,098 46,003 
			 Usk 40,402 30,801 43,848 33,139 
			 Verne (The) 27,980 27,230 30,488 29,587 
			 Wakefield 51,927 52,731 56,070 57,058 
			 Wandsworth 43,083 29,423 47,898 32,015 
			 Warren Hill 58,271 88,302 61,047 75,995 
			 Wayland 28,210 26,916 31,008 29,794 
			 Wealstun 33,501 36,972 34,420 54,177 
			 Wellingborough 27,898 34,251 32,865 32,947 
			 Werrington 57,860 76,404 60,599 73,546 
			 Wetherby 51,859 63,891 53,937 66,669 
			 Whatton 32,570 31,045 35,450 33,592 
			 Whitemoor 83,509 88,460 91,658 100,818 
			 Winchester 42,003 31,066 46,593 33,607 
			 Woodhill 68,161 56,929 75,454 62,175 
		
	
	
		
			 Wormwood Scrubs 34,143 32,051 38,559 35,584 
			 Wymott 29,732 28,559 34,501 33,088 
			 Average total 39,175 37,251 43,854 40,784 
			 Notes: 1. Displayed figures are subject to rounding. 2. The unit cost measurement used is based on overall cost which includes prison related overheads met centrally by NOMS, for example, property costs including depreciation (and cost of capital for 2009-10), major maintenance, prisoner escort and custody service (relates to transporting prisoners) and central HQ overheads. This involves some estimation. 3. Data for Elmley, Standford Hill and Swaleside are reported under the Sheppey cluster; data for Parkhurst, Camphill and Albany are reported under the Isle of Wight cluster; similarly, data for Blakenhurst, Brockhill and Hewell Grange is reported together as a cluster. 4. Dover and Haslar are not included as they are Immigration Removal Centres operating under Detention Centre Rules 2001. 5. Lindholme includes Lindholme IDC as it is a split site, part Category C Training Prison and part Immigration Removal Centre. 6. The following expenditure is not included: impairment charges, including the revaluation of land and buildings (2009-10: £525 million; 2010-11: £6.9 million); Operation Safeguard (use of police cells); cost of capital on assets in the course of construction (2009-10: £22.5 million); project, operating and commissioning costs at HMPYOI Isis in 2009-10 (£2.7 million), as the establishment was not opened during the course of year; costs associated with Probation (2010-11: £l,038 million); electronic monitoring (2010-11: £112.5 million); payment to Department of Health towards Drug Rehabilitation Requirements (2010-11: £22 million). 7. For certain prisons the unit cost is not typical, because they were in the process of change, e.g. Isis (2010-11) and Bure (2009-10) were building up capacity during the respective years.

Probation: Advisory Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the potential role of the (a) voluntary and (b) private sector in offering probation services advice.

Crispin Blunt: Under section 4 of the Offender Management Act 2007, arrangements for probation provision that relates to the giving of advice and assistance to the courts on sentencing or other matters may only be made with a probation trust or other public body.
	We are taking forward work on the nature shape of probation services in England and Wales and are considering various models for delivering offender services in the community. It is a wide-ranging review, which is looking at the structure of probation services and how they are commissioned and delivered. How the voluntary and private sectors can contribute to the future development of probation services will form part of that consideration. We intend to set out our preferred approach later in the autumn.

Antisocial Behaviour

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which (a) organisations and (b) individuals her Department consulted as part of its anti-social behaviour review.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office review included informal discussions with a range of organisations and practitioners involved in tackling antisocial behaviour, representing police forces, local authorities and registered social landlords.

Cannabis

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment her Department has made of the classification of (a) cannabis and (b) high THC cannabis; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: No recent assessment on the classification of cannabis and high THC cannabis has been commissioned by the Home Office.
	The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs last advised the Government on 'Cannabis: classification and public health' in its report published at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/acmd/
	In line with its statutory duty under section 1(2) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the Advisory Council keeps under review the situation in the UK with respect to controlled drugs.

Civil Disorder

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders were issued to those involved in public disorder during the summer.

James Brokenshire: Statistical data on antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) are collected and collated by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). The data does not detail the specific circumstances which lead to an ASBO being issued. It is therefore not possible to determine whether an ASBO was issued as a result of a defendant's participation in the recent public disorder, or for other reasons. That information could only be ascertained by reference to individual court files, which could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Crime Prevention

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the evidential basis was for the development of the domestic abuse, stalking and honour-based violence risk identification checklist.

Lynne Featherstone: The Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour based Violence (DASH) Model (2009) was developed by Associated Chief Police Officers (ACPO) from the good practice of previous risk assessment models. It was also informed by a comprehensive literature review, consultation with national and international academic experts and practitioners, officer/practitioner and victim focus groups and piloting in several areas.

Crime Prevention

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police services have fully implemented the domestic abuse, stalking and honour-based violence risk identification checklist.

Lynne Featherstone: The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) agreed that the Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour Based Violence (DASH) Risk Identification, Assessment and Management Model could be implemented across all police services in the UK from March 2009. Although we understand that the majority of forces currently use DASH it is for individual forces to decide which risk assessment models to use and the training their officers and staff receive.

Firearms: Young People

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children under the age of 10 were awarded a shotgun licence in each police authority in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 13 September 2011
	The total number of shotgun certificates granted to children less than 10 years of age is set out in the following table. This table covers the calendar years for which the data are currently available (2008-10).
	The data were extracted from the National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS) by the National Policing Improvement Agency. The NFLMS holds data on the firearms and shot gun certificates issued by police forces in England and Wales. These data are provisional, normally used for management and operational information only, and are not subject to the detailed quality checks applied to datasets used for National Statistics.
	
		
			 Number of shotgun certificates issued to those aged under 10 years of age, by force (2008-10) 
			  Force Number 
			 2008 Bedfordshire Police 2 
			  Cambridgeshire Constabulary 1 
			  Cumbria Constabulary 3 
			  Essex Police 2 
			  Gloucestershire Constabulary 1 
			  Hampshire Constabulary 1 
			  Lancashire Constabulary 2 
			  Northamptonshire Police 1 
			  Sussex Police 1 
		
	
	
		
			  West Mercia Constabulary 1 
			  Total 15 
			    
			 2009 Avon and Somerset Constabulary 1 
			  Cambridgeshire Constabulary 1 
			  Kent Police 1 
			  Northamptonshire Police 1 
			  Sussex Police 1 
			  Total 5 
			    
			 2010 Avon and Somerset Constabulary 1 
			  Dyfed Powys Police 1 
			  Kent Police 2 
			  Norfolk Constabulary 2 
			  Sussex Police 1 
			  Warwickshire Police 1 
			  West Mercia Constabulary 2 
			  West Midlands Police 1 
			  Total 11

Organised Crime

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to report to the House on her work on a cross-government programme of action to deal with gang culture, as indicated in the Prime Minister’s statement of 11 August 2011, Official Report, columns 1051-55, on public disorder.

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), intends to report to the House on a cross-government programme to deal with the gang culture and serious youth violence shortly.

Air Travel Organisers' Licensing Reform

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration she has given to redrafting the draft ATOL regulations to exclude Flight Plus arrangements sold by airlines from the requirement to provide financial protection.

Theresa Villiers: The view of the Government is that the powers currently vested in the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening) to make regulations on the Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (ATOL) scheme do not entitle her to require airlines to provide financial protection for Flight Plus holidays.
	I am currently considering all the issues raised in response to the recent consultation on proposals to reform the ATOL scheme, including any amendments to the draft ATOL regulations needed to reflect accurately the Government's position.
	In response to industry concerns and to ensure that the reforms are implemented fully and effectively, I announced on 25 October that the new ATOL regulations will not now come into force on 1 January, as originally proposed. Instead I intend to implement the reforms in April 2012. I plan to announce the final decisions on the details of the reforms later in the year.

SS Gairsoppa: Salvage

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many companies bid for the contract to salvage precious metal from the SS Gairsoppa;
	(2)  how her Department intends to monitor the recovery of silver from the SS Gairsoppa.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport (DfT) ran a competitive tender for the salvage of the SS Gairsoppa In 2009. Three salvage companies had shown an interest in making recoveries and were subsequently invited to tender. Following an assessment of the bids, Odyssey Marine Exploration were awarded the salvage contract as they offered the best rate of return to HMG.
	DfT's standard salvage agreement/contract requires the contractor to allow the Department's representatives on board during a salvage operation, to monitor any recoveries and to nominate which port the salvage vessel will use to discharge the recovered items, which may be placed in a secure site and subject to further inspection by officials.

Thameslink: Contracts

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on which dates she has met with representatives of Bombardier since her appointment; and whether (a) she and (b) other Ministers in her Department plan to meet Bombardier to discuss the future of the company in the UK.

Theresa Villiers: All ministerial diary commitments are published on the Department for Transport's website. Ministers from the Department for Transport have no current appointments with Bombardier in our diaries to discuss this matter, though the Secretary of State for Transport has recently spoken to the President of Bombardier. I look forward to future engagement and discussion with Bombardier on various issues.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with ATOS Healthcare on the suitability of its IT system for the work capability assessment.

Chris Grayling: The Logic integrated Medical Assessment (LiMA) is a software tool used by Atos Healthcare which supports health care professionals in carrying out assessments and providing reports to the Department. Health care practitioners remain in total control of the process and are fully responsible for the final report including justifying their advice in free text.
	We have asked Professor Harrington to look at the LiMA system in detail. He will publish his findings, including any recommendations to improve the system, as part of his second independent review. This is due to be published before the end of the year.

Incapacity Benefit: Correspondence

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the current average wait time is between an incapacity benefit claimant receiving a letter informing them of their impending assessment and that claimant attending a work capability assessment.

Chris Grayling: The average waiting time between an incapacity benefit customer receiving a letter informing them of their impending assessment and that claimant attending a work capability assessment is not collected by the Department of Work and Pensions.

Speech Therapy

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the role of speech and language therapy in reducing unemployment and getting people back to work;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to tackle barriers to employment for people with speech, language and communication difficulties.

Chris Grayling: The Government provide the following support for those with speech, language and communications difficulties:
	directly through Jobcentre Plus the Government offer a personalised, flexible service that recognises individuals may have conditions or circumstances requiring different levels of support; Disability employment advisers can also offer support for those in need of more specialist help.
	Work programme providers are free to decide what support to offer but the Department expects them to address these areas if they are a barrier to employment.
	Specialist disability programmes such as Work Choice, Access to Work, and Residential Training provide support to those with the most complex barriers to work.
	No specific assessment of the role of speech and language therapy in reducing unemployment has been undertaken. When an individual is participating in either the Work programme or Work Choice, appropriate support based on individual needs will be provided by prime contractors.
	An independent review of DWP employment support for disabled people, specifically looked at Remploy, residential training colleges and the Access to Work programme. The Government's initial response and a separate public consultation was launched on 11 July 2011 The closing date for responses was 17 October 2011. The central theme of the review was welcomed by Government, that resources for supporting disabled people into employment should be focused on disabled people themselves rather than on specific institutions. However, no decisions will be made on the future of disability employment support until all responses to the consultation have been considered.
	Following its launch in October 2010, a comprehensive evaluation of Work Choice is being carried out, partly through in-house qualitative research with key stakeholders and partly through case studies carried out by an external research organisation—‘Inclusion’.
	A full independent evaluation of the Work programme has been commissioned for 2013. It will be led by the Institute for Employment Studies in Brighton.

Work Capability Assessment

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 11 October 2011, Official Report, column 358W, on work capability assessment: illnesses, when he expects the next review of the ESA50 questionnaire to take place; and if he will consider refining the ESA50 questionnaire to include a specific question about terminal illness to account for the circumstances where an individual with a terminal illness could receive an ESA50 questionnaire as part of that review.

Chris Grayling: We keep the ESA50 questionnaire under continuous review to ensure it captures the most relevant information to support decision makers in making accurate decisions. Following recommendations by Professor Harrington we have improved the ESA50 questionnaire, adding a ‘personal justification’ section (on page 3) that allows an individual to explain in their own words what their condition is and how it affects them if they wish.
	The vast majority of individuals with a terminal illness as defined by the legislation will be fast tracked to the support group and will not be sent an ESA50 questionnaire. In the rare occasions where an individual with a terminal illness is not fast tracked into the support group and they are sent an ESA50 questionnaire, we would expect the claimant to use the 'personal justification' section to draw attention to the fact that they have been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Debts: Business

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with banks on underwriting or guaranteeing debts of businesses.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Debts: EU Countries

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the level of exposure of the UK banking system to (a) Italian, (b) Spanish, (c) Portuguese and (d) Irish sovereign debt.

Mark Hoban: Data on external claims of UK-owned monetary financial institutions, and of their branches and subsidiaries abroad, are available on the Bank of England website at:
	http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics/Bankstats/2011/Sep/TabC4.2.xls
	This data includes UK banking groups' direct exposures to the entire public sectors in Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Italy and France, as of end June 2011.

Departmental Equality

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish an equality impact assessment with the Autumn Statement.

Chloe Smith: The Autumn Statement is the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne's), response to the Economic and Fiscal Outlook which will be published by the Office of Budget Responsibility on 29 November.
	In line with its statutory obligations, the Government pays due regard to the impact of policy measures on groups with protected characteristics as part of the policy development process.

Departmental Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many contracts his Department has awarded directly to third sector organisations in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many contracts his Department has awarded directly to (a) small, (b) medium-sized and (c) large businesses in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many contracts his Department has advertised on the Contracts Finder website in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; what proportion were awarded to (a) third sector organisations and (b) small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: HM Treasury does not hold information on the number of contracts awarded directly to either third sector organisations or to small, medium-sized or large businesses prior to January 2011. This information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	HM Treasury does record data relating to whether a supplier is classified as a small and medium sized enterprise (SME), but does not distinguish between small or medium sized organisations. HM Treasury does not record whether contracts are awarded to suppliers classified as third sector organisations.
	Since January 2011 it has been a mandatory requirement for Departments to advertise all new tenders and contracts over the value of £10,000 (excluding VAT) on Contracts Finder in line with Cabinet Office guidance.
	The number of HM Treasury contracts advertised and awarded each month on Contracts Finder since January 2011 to end September 2011 are shown in the following table. In some cases, the value of the contract will be determined by usage.
	
		
			 Month (2011) Opportunities/tenders published Contracts awarded Value of contracts awarded (exc  .   VAT) (£ million) Number of contracts awarded to SMEs 
			 January 2 0 0 0 
			 February 3 4 1.4 0 
			 March 1 1 0. 0 
			 April 2 2 0.845 0 
			 May 2 1 0 0 
			 June 1 0 0 0 
			 July 0 2 0.129 0 
			 August 2 4 0.385 0 
			 September 0 2 9.3 0 
			 Total 13 16 12.096 0

Energy: Prices

Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal measures his Department is taking to assist families adversely affected by trends in energy prices.

Chloe Smith: The Government are taking a range of steps to assist households affected by rising energy prices, including fiscal measures.
	The Energy Consumer Summit held on 17 October 2011 agreed a range of steps that Government, energy suppliers and the regulator Ofgem will take to help consumers by clarifying bills, facilitating switching supplier and increasing uptake of insulation to help consumers save money on their gas and electricity bills. The Government welcomes Ofgem's proposals to simplify energy tariffs and standardise price information.
	The new Warm Home Discount will this year require energy suppliers to provide £250 million of rebates and other assistance to around 2 million households vulnerable to fuel poverty, including automatic discounts of £120 off energy bills this winter to about 600,000 of the poorest pensioners. Over 9 million pensioner households will receive the winter fuel payment of £200 (£300 for households with someone over 80). The cold weather payment has been permanently increased from £8.50 to £25. In addition, domestic energy remains subject to the reduced 5% VAT rate.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of duty stamps on (a) beer and (b) spirits to prevent duty fraud.

Chloe Smith: HMRC publishes estimates of losses from duty fraud involving spirits and beer annually. The most recent estimate of the spirits tax gap was published in “Measuring Tax Gaps-2011” in September 2011.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/measuring-tax-gaps.htm
	This estimate indicates that since the introduction of duty stamps in 2006 the spirits illicit market has fallen from 6% (2005-06) to 3% (2009-10).
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced that the Government will explore potential legislative measures to tackle existing and emerging threats to alcohol duty receipts at Budget 2011. HMRC are currently consulting informally with the alcohol industry on potential anti-fraud measures, including exploring the potential to introduce a fiscal marking scheme for beer.

Loans: Business

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the Bank of England on potential incentives to increase bank lending to businesses.

Mark Hoban: HM Treasury is engaging with the Bank of England on credit easing as part of routine government business. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Academies: Primary Education

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria he plans to use in determining whether to convert primary schools to academy status; what account he takes of the special needs of pupils when assessing the performance of primary schools; and if he will list those primary schools he intends to designate with academy status.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 17 October 2011
	Primary schools are considered for conversion to academy status following an application being submitted to the Department by the school. The following criteria are taken into account in determining whether to approve an application to convert to an Academy:
	The school's last three years exam results and the general performance trend.
	Comparisons, both locally and nationally, with exam performance in similar schools i.e. the percentage of pupils making expected progress in English and Maths with KS2 for primary schools, and KS2-4 in secondary schools. We will be looking at whether the results are above, or moving rapidly towards, the national averages in attainment and progression.
	The last Ofsted inspections, taking particular notice of the school's capacity to improve; its outcomes; and effectiveness of the leadership team.
	Any other evidence of a school's performance which a school considers to be significant.
	Consideration is also taken of the school's financial position, the school's plans to support improvement in weaker schools, and whether the necessary legal requirements have been met. Less strongly performing schools may still be considered for conversion to Academy status provided they convert in an appropriate chain arrangement with a high performing school or sponsor.
	In determining the school’s performance the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), may also consider contextual factors such as the pupils on the school roll with special educational needs and Ofsted judgments over the quality of education for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress.
	A list is available on the Department's website of all primary schools that have applied to convert to Academy status, including a list of those applications that have been approved. The website also lists those primary schools that have become sponsored Academies.
	www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/b0069811/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-development

Departmental Correspondence

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has received representations concerning (a) the Big Society Bank, (b) the Work Programme and (c) volunteering since June 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: As far as I am aware, the Department has not received any formal representations concerning the big society bank since June 2011. However, we welcome the creation of big society capital (formerly known as the big society bank) which will provide new investment for voluntary organisations and support them to deliver vital services for children, young people and families.
	Responsibility for the new Work programme falls to the Department for Work and Pensions and as far as I am aware, no formal representations about this programme have been made to the Department for Education. However, Government Departments are working closely together to widen opportunities available to young people aged 16 to 24 to maximise their participation in education, employment and training. We are committed to supporting all 16- and 17-year-olds to participate in education or training, and to raising the participation age to 18 by 2015.
	I can confirm that the Department has received a number of written responses since June 2011 relating to volunteering as part of a wide-ranging consultation on a new cross-Government statement on youth policy. These are being reviewed to inform the final statement which will be published, together with a summary of responses, later this year.

Young People: Disability

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to encourage (a) statutory agencies and (b) post-16 providers to work together to ensure disabled young people are supported they need to access the further education course of their choice; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 24 October 2011
	The Government put forward proposals to strengthen links and co-operation between those who plan, deliver and support further education and training for disabled students from age 16 in the Green Paper “Support and Aspiration: A new approach to special educational and disability”, published on 9 March. Following this, the Green Paper pathfinders announced on 21 September will test the provision of strong partnerships between all local services and statutory agencies to ensure that disabled students are helped to access the educational choice and support they need.
	The Government will set out their plans for improving the support and outcomes of disabled young people and those with SEN by the end of the year, following analysis of the responses to the Green Paper.

Young People: Disability

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many learning-difficulty assessments for disabled young people planning to attend further education were carried out in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands in the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 24 October 2011
	Local authorities are responsible for arranging learning difficulty assessments. They have a duty to arrange an assessment for all young people who hold a statement of special educational need, if they are leaving school to undertake post-16 education or training. They also have the power to arrange an assessment for other young people aged 16-24 if they appear to the authority to have a learning difficulty.
	Local authorities hold their own records and the Department does not collect or hold data showing how many learning difficulty assessments have taken place.

Government Departments: Procurement

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will announce a date for the start of the Lean Procurement programme.

Francis Maude: holding answer 27 October 2011
	The Government are committed to making government procurement quicker, cheaper and work differently for all concerned. The Lean Review conducted in late 2010 set out to uncover wasteful practices and examine how the procurement process could be accelerated. The report was published in February 2011 identifying significant potential to reduce turnaround time and costs in the way government procures. Since then, the Cabinet Office has developed a new lean sourcing process embracing 'lean' management practices. The new process is being tested on live procurement projects, with promising early results, and a pilot training course has been designed and run. Roll out across central Government is due to commence in early 2012.

Continuing Care

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are in receipt of NHS Continuing Care funding (a) by local authority area and (b) in total.

Paul Burstow: 53,466 people were in receipt of continuing health care in England at the end of June 2011.
	These data are not available by local authority area.

Health Education: Drugs

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the merits of (a) prevention and (b) harm reduction in the area of drug education; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: As part of the development of the Drugs Strategy, officials and analysts looked at published evaluations of drug education programmes, including those which are school based. We will continue to review our approach as further significant research is published.
	The Department for Education is undertaking an internal review of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. The review will include identifying evidence based interventions that are proven to get good results in achieving the outcomes we want from PSHE. This will include interventions on drugs.

Medical Records: South West

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the performance of the transfer of patients records in (a) areas administered by NHS Shared Business Services, (b) Devon and (c) the South West.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), has not made an assessment of the performance of the transfer of patients records in areas administered by NHS Shared Business Services, Devon and the South West.
	The South of England strategic health authority (formerly known as South West strategic health authority) would expect primary care trusts to performance manage their contracts and any assessment of performance would be carried out locally.

Ovarian Cancer

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the detection and treatment of ovarian cancer.

Paul Burstow: In “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer”, published on 12 January 2011, we have committed over £450 million over the next four years to support earlier diagnosis of cancer. This money will fund increased general practitioner (GP) access to diagnostic tests; pay for more testing and treatment in secondary care; and support campaigns to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer. One of the tests we are increasing access to is non-obstetric ultrasound to support the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. GPs will be able to access these tests directly in cases where the two-week urgent referral pathway is not appropriate but a patient's symptoms require further investigation. The intention is that more people presenting with relevant symptoms will be tested at an earlier stage.
	Early symptoms of ovarian cancer can include pain in the pelvis and lower stomach, persistent bloating and difficulty eating. However, they can be difficult to recognise, especially when the disease is at an early stage, as they are often the same as the symptoms of other, less serious conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome or pre-menstrual syndrome.
	In April this year, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a clinical guideline, the “Recognition and initial management of ovarian cancer”, which sets out recommendations for the detection of the disease in primary care. In addition to this, NICE is developing a Quality Standard for ovarian cancer which will set out what good ovarian cancer treatment and support looks like and will help support clinical commissioning groups when they take responsibility for commissioning ovarian cancer services. Detection of ovarian cancer in primary care will be considered when developing this standard.
	The Strategy also sets out our commitment to work with a number of rarer cancer-focused charities to assess what more can be done to encourage appropriate, referrals to secondary care and to diagnose rarer cancers earlier. Departmental officials have already met with a number of these charities, including an ovarian cancer charity, with the aim of identifying some of the barriers to early diagnosis and to discuss potential solutions. This will inform our future work in this area.
	We are also part of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership to understand why there are differences in survival rates across a range of counties. Ovarian cancer is one the four cancers we are looking at as part of the study. This will help identify what more we should be doing to improve survival rates for ovarian cancer.

Patients: Death

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mortality rates were for each NHS trust in each of the last 10 years.

Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the NHS Information Centre for health and social care has recently published information on an experimental risk adjusted mortality rate for national health service trusts (the Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator). This indicator was developed on behalf of the National Quality Board by a review group of experts from the NHS and from the commercial sector, and is intended to provide a more reliable assessment of relative mortality than previous measures. Individual trust data for the new indicator, covering the period April 2010 to March 2011, is available from the Information Centre website on:
	http://indicators.ic.nhs.uk/webview/index.jsp?v=2& submode=ddi&study=http%3A%2F%2Fhg-l-app-472.ic. green.net%3A80%2Fobj%2FfStudy%2FP01106&mode= documentation&top=yes
	Information on this measure is not available for previous years.

Speech Therapy

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to maintain speech and language therapy services in (a) Wandsworth and (b) England;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) patient quality, (b) choice and (c) cost-effectiveness of a reduction in clinical leadership posts in speech and language therapy services;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to maintain the services provided by speech and language therapists in (a) schools and (b) primary care trusts following reductions in the budgets of local authorities;
	(4)  whether he has plans to produce national standards for speech and language therapy services across England to prevent geographical inequalities; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: There have been no assessments carried out centrally. It is for local national health service organisations to decide how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, and to commission services accordingly. This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the health community, including the provision of speech and language therapy.
	Where NHS organisations are planning changes to their work force, they will need to demonstrate that their systems, processes and governance arrangements, including clinical leadership, are appropriate for assuring that the proposed service does not compromise the quality and safety of patient care.
	The Health and Social Care Bill provides the basis for better collaboration, partnership working and integration across local government and the NHS at all levels. The drivers of integration in the modernised NHS will be clinical commissioning groups and the NHS Commissioning Board. Both have new duties to promote integrated working by taking specific action to secure integration (where beneficial to patients). In addition, the Bill gives health and well-being boards a duty to encourage health and care commissioners to work together to advance the health and well-being of the people in its area.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) produces Quality Standards for England. NICE, jointly with the National Quality Board, recently ran an engagement exercise on the library of NICE Quality Standard NHS healthcare topics. As part of this, exercise a provisional list of topics that might form part of the overall library was published inviting comments. Although a quality standard on speech and language therapy was not included in this provisional list, the purpose of the engagement exercise was to canvass views on whether other topics should be included within the library. The engagement exercise closed on 14 October 2011. NICE are currently analysing the responses received and will be able to provide more information in due course. Once published, the library of topics will be reviewed at regular intervals allowing new topics to be added and quality standards in those areas to be included within NICE'S production schedule. Further information on the engagement exercise can be found at:
	www.nice.org.uk/getinvolved/currentniceconsultations/NQBEngagement.jsp

Afghanistan: Security

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of security in Lashkar Gah since the transfer of security responsibilities to Afghan forces.

Philip Hammond: I have been asked to respond.
	The security situation in Lashkar Gah is routinely assessed by UK forces and the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team. While the full implications of the transfer of security lead remain to be seen, initial assessments are positive. UK forces have reported that the Afghan forces are growing in confidence and keen to be in the lead. Their progress has been demonstrated by their professional responses to insurgent attacks, co-ordinating effectively with local emergency services.
	UK forces remain on stand-by to assist the Afghan National Security Forces in Lashkar Gah but there have not been any requests for our support since the start of Transition.

Animal Experiments: Cosmetics

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what response he plans to make to the European Commission's consultation on the future of the ban on marketing of cosmetics tested on animals.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 27 October 2011
	No proposal has been received from the European Commission about the 2013 deadline for the full marketing ban. We do however, expect a decision about a proposal by the end of the year.

Balance of Trade: EU countries

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the size of the UK trade deficit with the EU was in each of the last five years.

Edward Davey: As published by the Office of National Statistics, the balance of trade between the United Kingdom and the European Union over the last years were as follows:
	
		
			 UK's balance of trade in goods and services with the EU 
			  £ million 
			 2006 -29,616 
			 2007 -35,235 
			 2008 -28,582 
		
	
	
		
			 2009 -27,421 
			 2010 -35,534

Business

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions his Department has held with small and medium-sized enterprises on implementation of the Plan for Growth; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Ministers' and officials regularly seek the views of small business stakeholders across a wide range of policy issues, including those areas covered in the Plan for Growth. For example, on 20 June 2011, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), participated in a manufacturing summit in Burnley with manufacturing firms from across Lancashire. On 25 October 2011, I co-chaired the first meeting of the Green Construction Board to consider the growth opportunities presented by a sustainable construction and property sector. In August, the Department held a series of meetings with businesses on transforming regulatory enforcement which included small and medium-sized enterprises and their representative bodies. There has also been extensive engagement and communication with the small business community as part of the development of the second phase of the Growth Review which is due to report in November.

Construction Industry

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the likely levels of growth in the construction industry in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not forecast trends in construction output. We do monitor estimates of future growth that are .produced by others, particularly Experian and the Construction Products Association (CPA).
	In their latest forecast, the CPA predict that construction output will fall in 2011 by 1.1% and in 2012 by 3.6%. Growth is forecast to be flat (0.0%) in 2013, with the sector returning to growth of 3.7% in 2014 which will accelerate to 4.7% in 2015.
	Experian's autumn forecasts predict a shallower fall in output in 2011 and 2012 than their previous forecast, as publicly funded construction is holding up better than expected and infrastructure remains firm. Recovery is forecast in 2013, with 3.7% growth. Experian do not produce forecasts beyond 2013.

Construction Industry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to support the construction industry.

Mark Prisk: The Government are acting positively to support the construction industry through the growth review; including reforming the planning system, modernising public sector procurement and setting out a National Infrastructure Plan, which will unlock up to £200 billion of public and private investment.
	Earlier this month I co-chaired the inaugural meeting of the Green Construction Board along with Dan Labbad, chief executive of Lend Lease. This group will ensure that Government and industry work together to seize the opportunities presented by a sustainable construction and property sector.
	In September it was announced that Whitehall will look at where we can speed up delivery of our infrastructure commitments. This involves going through the nation's capital spending plans to hand-pick up to 40 of the biggest infrastructure projects which will be given new special priority status.
	BIS is working closely with HM Treasury to take forward this initiative, at all times emphasising the importance of high quality infrastructure for business. Some specific areas include:
	Investment in infrastructure projects through the next round of the regional growth fund;
	Investing in low carbon infrastructure through the Green Investment Bank which will begin investing in 2012,
	Improving the UK's sales pitch to investors through Lord Green's work at UKTI,
	Supporting work to reform the planning system to support sustainable development,
	Working across Government to implement the Penfold review to simplify non-planning consents,
	Using the Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) local network to provide feedback on projects seen as significant at a local level,
	Working with other Government Departments to implement the £500 million Growing Places fund announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, my right hon. Friend the Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander), on 18 September and proposals for Tax Incremental Finance.
	While BIS has no specific policies addressing access to finance for construction companies, it does have a range of applicable support for small and medium-sized enterprises, including the Regional Growth Fund, Enterprise Finance Guarantee, Export Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme, Continuation of the Government's Enterprise Capital Funds.

Further Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to maintain free remission on adult and further education courses for learners on all income-related benefits.

John Hayes: ‘Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth’, published in November 2010, set out where full Government funding would be focused for the 2011/12 academic year.
	Irrespective of their benefit status this included, for adults aged 19 and over, basic literacy and numeracy qualifications, foundation learning (entry and level 1) where they do not already hold a full level 2 qualification and first, full level 2 qualifications. Full Government funding will also be provided for learners aged 19 up to 25 where they are undertaking their first full level 3 qualification.
	As part of the Government's commitment to support unemployed people into work, we will also fully fund units and full qualifications for people in receipt of jobseekers' allowance and employment support allowance (in the Work Related Activity Group) depending on what they need to help them enter and stay in work.
	In line with the introduction of further freedoms and flexibilities, on 9 August my Department announced that further education (FE) colleges and training providers would be given local discretion to provide fully funded training for people on a wider range of benefits—provided that the training is to help them enter employment. We expect FE colleges and training organisations to closely with local partners including Jobcentre Plus to ensure training offered to these learners meets local labour market needs.
	Adult FE and skills funding policy for the 2012/13 academic year will be confirmed later this year.

Further Education: Disability

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to improve support available for further education students with (a) disabilities and (b) learning difficulties.

John Hayes: ‘Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth’ (November, 2010) recognises the importance of access to further education and skills training for people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
	From the 2011/12 academic year we have introduced a single adult skills budget. This provides further education colleges and other training organisations with the flexibility to offer a range and balance of programmes and support in the mode of delivery that will best meet the needs of students with disabilities and learning difficulties. Funding for additional learning support is also provided to colleges and other training organisations to help support the additional needs of disadvantaged learners enabling them to participate fully in learning. The funding is intended to be flexible and support learners who have a range of learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

Government Departments: Contracts

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effects of off-shoring UK Government manufacturing contracts on (a) other UK-based businesses in the supply chain and (b) local economies; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: As stated by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), on 5 July, the Government are considering whether the UK is best applying the EU procurement rules and managing our procurements, to maintain competitive UK supply chains to meet our strategic needs, cost-effectively, in the long-term. This review has sought evidence from key suppliers of high value manufactured goods and complex infrastructure on;
	the impacts of the UK public procurement approach, and
	on how the UK approach compares to that of other EU countries.
	Conclusions arising from this work will be published as part of the growth review, alongside the autumn statement.

Green Investment Bank

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  when he expects to bring forward legislative proposals to provide for the independence of the Green Investment Bank;
	(2)  what (a) legal and (b) regulatory requirements the Green Investment Bank will have to comply with;
	(3)  what steps he plans to take to oversee the state aid approval process for the Green Investment Bank;
	(4)  what mechanism he has put in place for the transition of financial interventions made by the Government during the incubation phase to the Green Investment Bank after it has been established.

Mark Prisk: The Green Investment Bank (GIB) will be subject to the same legal and regulatory requirements as any other bank. Legislation will enshrine the enduring and independent nature of the GIB and the GIB will be established as a Companies Act company, following best practice corporate governance.
	The UK's proposals for creating the GIB are subject to approval by the European Commission which will examine whether the proposals are compatible with the provisions of the EU Treaty as it relates to state aid. The Government is in close engagement with the European Commission to obtain state aid approval for the GIB.
	In the period prior to obtaining state aid approval for a GIB, HMG will make appropriate financial interventions to promote the transition to a green economy. All such investments must be compatible with state aid law meaning that any state aid involved must be within existing state aid exemptions or approvals. These assets will be transferred to the GIB to manage once state aid approval has been received.
	No final decision has been made on when to introduce legislation.

Green Investment Bank

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when his Department plans to announce how the Green Investment Bank will support the initial stages of the green deal.

Mark Prisk: We have not reached any firm conclusions on whether the Green Investment Bank (GIB) ought to have a role in financing the Green Deal. As with other potential areas of the GIB mandate, we are continuing to engage with stakeholders on what role could potentially be appropriate for the GIB in the Green Deal. Some potential investors in the Green Deal have asked us to consider the potential for the GIB to support the financing of investment in domestic energy efficiency during the first stages of Green Deal delivery, alongside commercial investment.

Workers' Educational Association

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) of the outcomes of his Department's Informal Adult and Community Learning consultation; and how his Department plans to promote the role and work of the WEA.

John Hayes: The BIS consultation on the future of Informal Adult and Community Learning (IACL) closed on 21 October 2011 and we are now analysing the responses. Our headline policy proposals for IACL will be announced within the wider further education reform strategy to be published in late autumn.
	As the UK's largest voluntary provider of adult education and one of the UK's biggest charities, with more than 500 local branches, Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) is a key delivery partner and stakeholder. WEA has expertise in reaching adults from all backgrounds, particularly those who have previously missed out on learning. We value their partnership and support and will continue to work closely with them to develop and implement our adult learning policies.

Africa: Teachers

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to contribute through (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral programmes to teacher training and support of an effective teacher workforce in (i) Mozambique and (ii) the Gambia.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) plans to contribute £18 million through bilateral programmes to education in Mozambique over the next four years (2011-12 to 2014-15). DFID also supports an effective teacher work force by leading (on behalf of all bilateral and multilateral donors) the dialogue with the Ministry of Education on human resource issues.
	Of the main multilateral funders of education in Mozambique to which DFID contributes, the World Bank plans to provide US$ 71 million (£45 million) over the period 2011 to 2015 and the Education for All Fast Track Initiative (FTI) plans to provide US$ 90 million (£57 million) over the period 2011 to 2014. Together, these bilateral and multilateral contributions will, among other things, help train an additional 28,000 primary school teachers over the next four years.
	Following the Bilateral Aid Review, we are in the process of closing the UK's bilateral aid programme to The Gambia. We will continue to support development in The Gambia through our contributions to the multilateral development organisations, including the EU, World Bank and African Development Bank. The Gambia is one of the recipient countries for the FTI, to which the UK is the second largest donor, having committed over £300 million.

Burma: Third Sector

Malcolm Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects his Department funds to support civil society capacity building in Burma.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) has recently approved an innovative new four-year programme of support to local civil society in Burma. This will help local organisations and individuals to work together to give an estimated 94,000 people a greater say in decisions affecting their lives. The programme—formally called the Burma Civil Society Strengthening Programme—will provide grants, mentoring and other support totalling £11 million to Burmese civil society organisations. It builds on the previous programme which provided £4 million for civil society capacity building in Burma between 2008 and 2011.
	Further details of DFID's projects are available on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Developing Countries: Females

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on promoting women's rights in developing countries in each of the last 12 months.

Andrew Mitchell: The Government have put girls and women at the heart of international development. We are supporting girls and women through our 27 country programmes and we have announced £10 million each year core funding to UN Women, following their publication of a strategic results plan which we required before allocating core funding.
	Since achieving results for girls and women spans DFID's entire portfolio, it is not possible to disaggregate a precise figure for aid allocated to promoting women's rights.

Developing Countries: Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution his Department is making to the prevention of human trafficking in developing countries.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports projects in developing countries which specifically aim to reduce human trafficking. We support the Malawi Anti-Child Trafficking Project, which aims to improve knowledge of and access to rights for children in Malawi who have been trafficked or are vulnerable to being trafficked. In Bangladesh we support a Police Reform Programme which has established a Human Trafficking Investigations Unit. In Uganda, we have supported UNICEF to help identify and support trafficked women and children in the northern Karamoja region. DFID is currently developing a new regional anti-trafficking project in South Asia. The programme aims to reduce trafficking of women and girls in the region by 10% over four years. It will focus on trafficking into domestic work and the garment sector.
	DFID also works to tackle the underlying factors which put people at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking, such as poverty, lack of education, lack of economic opportunities, vulnerability to economic shocks, and social exclusion.

Developing Countries: Malaria

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to tackle malaria in developing countries.

Andrew Mitchell: Addressing malaria is one of the main priorities of the UK Government. We announced in March 2011 that we are committed to helping halve malaria deaths in at least 10 of the worst affected countries by 2015. We will support action to sustain and expand gains into the future.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) will deliver on this through support to country programmes, international organisations and research. In Nigeria, this includes distributing an additional 6 million long-lasting insecticide treated nets and help improve access to malaria treatment; in Sierra Leone it includes supporting prevention and treatment of malaria in pregnant women and young children, leading to a further 867,000 children sleeping under a LLIN and 230,000 women receiving malaria preventative treatment during pregnancy; and it includes providing support to the World Health Organisation's Global Malaria Programme to identify threats to malaria control and elimination, and to ensure new evidence results in better policies in country programmes.
	I recently spoke at the launch of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Report; “A Decade of Partnership and Results” and attended the Malaria Forum, hosted by The Gates Foundation in October.

Ethiopia: Overseas Aid

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects in Ethiopia have received funding from his Department in the last five years; which such projects are likely to receive such funding in the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: I have placed in the House of Commons Library a list of projects that the Department For International Development (DFID) has funded in Ethiopia in the last five years.
	For the next four years DFID's Operational Plan for Ethiopia commits the Department to protect the most vulnerable Ethiopians, help achieve the millennium development goals by scaling up support for health, education, water and food security, and make our support more transformational by:
	putting girls and women front and centre of all we do;
	addressing geographical inequality that is the cause and consequence of fragility and conflict;
	investing to accelerate growth, trade and investment;
	increasing resilience for farmers to changing weather patterns;
	empowering citizens and building domestic accountability;
	innovating to leverage faster progress, for example by piloting results-based aid in education.
	Over the next four years DFID will support: two million children in primary school (almost half will be girls); the delivery of half a million safe births; 1.4 million people to gain access to safe drinking water; the creation of 150,000 jobs (of which 112,500 for women and girls) and 3.5 million women with access to security and justice.

Legal Opinion

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on (a) legal advice and (b) instructing counsel in (i) 2007, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) the first six months of 2011; how many times (A) his Department was taken to court and (B) a decision taken by his Department was subject to a judicial review; and what the outcome was of each such (1) case and (2) review.

Stephen O'Brien: TSol has opened 85 new files in respect of instances of advisory work and/or litigation since 2007. Many of these files will not involve civil litigation or judicial review proceedings and it isn't possible to provide a detailed summary of the outcomes or advice provided in respect of each files in the form requested.

South Africa: Health Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost to the public purse of training by the Care Quality Commission of 10 inspectors from South Africa has been; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen O'Brien: The improvement of the quality of health care is one of the key priorities of the Government of South Africa. As part of its support to achieving this improvement the Department of International Development is facilitating learning between the UK Care Quality Commission (CQC) and counterparts in South Africa. South African inspectors have been invited to join the CQC inspector orientation training programme at a total cost of £57,860 for all 10 South African inspectors. These costs will be met by DFID and are inclusive of flights; accommodation and all other expenses. There are no cost implications for the CQC or the Department of Health. This represents good value for money in that CQC is a global lead in this area and will not in this case be charging any fees. This is a good example of how UK expertise can benefit partner governments.

South Sudan: Commonwealth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on South Sudan joining the Commonwealth.

Andrew Mitchell: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and I fully support South Sudan's application to join the Commonwealth. If possible, we would like to see it join by 2013 as long as it meets the relevant criteria, especially those relating to the core values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Ultimately it will be for all member states to agree on whether to admit South Sudan to the Commonwealth.

Advisers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what arrangements his Department has put in place for paying expenses of experts and external advisers to enable them to attend meetings in London.

John Penrose: In some cases members of expert groups agree to participate on the basis that they are not remunerated and any expenses related to their activities must be met by the individuals or organisations themselves.
	Non-departmental staff are entitled to claim for travel and subsistence at the same rates that apply for departmental staff. Any claim must comply with the Department's travel and subsistence rules and all claims for incidental expenses must comply with government accounting rules.

Arts: Finance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on simplifying access to finance for (a) artists, (b) video game organisations and (c) musicians.

Edward Vaizey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 20 October 2011, Official Report, column 1051W.

Betting Shops

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many operating licences have been issued by the Gambling Commission for betting shops in each local authority area.

Jeremy Hunt: The Gambling Commission publishes data annually about the total number of betting operator licences it has issued at:
	http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/gh-about_us/annual_report_and_accounts.aspx
	however; this information is not broken down into local authority area.
	Licensing authorities are responsible for issuing premises licenses for individual betting shops and will therefore hold records of the number of such licences issued.

Charities

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions his Department has had with the charity operating the Waverley; what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits of keeping the paddle-steamer in operation; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: holding answer 28 October 2011
	The Paddle Steamer Waverley is the largest operational vessel in the UK's National Historic Fleet, and is of pre-eminent national and regional significance.
	National Historic Ships, a body funded by this Department which has a UK-wide remit and acts as official adviser to the UK Governments on historic vessels, has offered advice and support to the Paddle Steamer Waverley Trust. The Director attended a meeting on 12 August 2011 with the Chairman and members of the Waverley Steam Navigation Co. Ltd to discuss what can be done through business planning development and fundraising to keep Waverly in service. In addition the Heritage Lottery Fund, which also has UK wide remit, has awarded two grants (£2,689,000 in 1996-97 and £3,028,000 in 2001-02) in recognition of the vessel's heritage value.
	Although the Waverley tours many parts of the UK, it is owned by an independent charitable trust based in Scotland and thus is also related to Scottish Ministers' responsibilities.

Communications Bill

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he expects to introduce his proposed Communications Bill. [R]

Edward Vaizey: A Green Paper will be published shortly after Christmas. The public consultation that follows will inform a draft Communications Bill to be produced by mid-2013. Our aim is to complete the legislative process by the end of this Parliament. The timetable is designed to ensure that there is sufficient time to have a full and open dialogue about the complex issues involved and reflects the importance of this sector to the UK.

Communications Bill

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the regional and national representation is of his Department's external group on the drafting of the Communications Bill.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), published an open letter in May, setting key questions to stakeholders and inviting input to the drafting of the Green Paper. The letter itself was cleared via write-around to all other Government Departments. The open letter elicited over 160 replies—including individual responses from all the devolved Administrations.
	The Department is hosting a meeting with representatives from all other Departments, including all the devolved Administrations, in November, and policy officials are maintaining an ongoing, open dialogue with devolved Administrations on specific issues as appropriate.

Departmental Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many civil servants in his Department and the bodies for which he is responsible earned more than (a) £65,000, (b) £95,000, (c) £140,000 and (d) £175,000 in the last year for which figures are available.

John Penrose: The number of civil servants in this Department who earned more than £65,000, £95,000, £140,000 and £175,000 in the last financial year is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Salary Number of ci  vil servants in the year 2010-  11 Number currently (September) 2011 
			 More than £65,000 29 28 
			 More than £95,000 8 6 
			 More than £140,000 3 3 
			 More than £175,000 2 2 
		
	
	We do not hold this information for our arm's length bodies. I have therefore asked their chief executives to consider the question raised by the hon. Member and to write to him direct. Copies of the replies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Digital Consumer Expert Group

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the regional composition is of his Department's digital consumer expert group.

Edward Vaizey: The Consumer Expert Group (CEG) currently only includes organisation with national interests, such as the Royal National Institute for the Blind, Which? and the Rural Communities Council Organisations with specific regional interests could be members subject to the agreement of the CEG.

Digital Consumer Expert Group

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how members of his Department's digital consumer expert group were recruited; how such members are remunerated; and what expenses may be claimed by such members.

Edward Vaizey: In 2003 the Government invited organisations with a very obvious interest in broadcasting and consumer protection to participate in the Consumer Expert Group (CEG). Since then organisations have been welcomed to join the Consumer Expert Group, subject to the agreement of the group itself and demonstrating a genuine interest in the issues which the CEG is considering.
	Members of the Consumer Expert Group are not remunerated and any expenses related to CEG activities must be meet by the individuals or organisations themselves.

Equiniti

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department expects to raise from the re-sale by Equiniti of surrendered equipment as part of the programme making and special events funding scheme.

Edward Vaizey: The Department will not raise any funds from the resale of this equipment as it is covered by a contract between Ofcom and Equiniti. Ofcom has not made any assessment of how much revenue the resale of equipment under the scheme will realise. The contract between Ofcom and Equiniti contains a gain share clause whereby 54% of the resale value is returned to HM Treasury. Equiniti must cover its own cost of sales from its share of the resale value.

Licensing: Equiniti

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what measures are in place to ensure that only licensed users are permitted to buy surrendered programme making and special events equipment from Equiniti; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: A procedure is in place whereby Equiniti check with JFMC, who issue wireless-telegraphy licences for programme making and special events on behalf of Ofcom, whether the potential purchaser holds a current channel 69 licence. Equiniti will only sell surrendered equipment where this is the case.

Museums and Galleries

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what (a) museums, (b) galleries and (c) heritage sites he has visited in an official capacity in each region since May 2010.

Edward Vaizey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 21 October 2011, Official Report, column 1162W, providing the details of visits in the last 12 months.

Museums and Galleries

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many people have made recent representations to him regarding the future of the Captain Cook Birthplace museum in Marton, Middlesbrough.

Edward Vaizey: To date, our records show that the Department has received and responded to 362 representations regarding the future of the Captain Cook Birthplace museum in Marton, Middlesbrough. The museum is the responsibility of the local authority, in this case Middlesbrough council, who must decide on how best to fund and deliver its cultural services. It is not appropriate for the Department to prescribe how they do so.

Ofcom

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what powers Ofcom has to prevent the re-selling of equipment surrendered as part of the programme making and special events funding scheme back into the UK market; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The contract with Equiniti required that Ofcom must approve any disposal proposal (including resale) made by Equiniti of surrendered equipment. The proposal for disposal has been approved and requires that Equiniti only sells to licensed users and imposes a requirement on purchasers to modify, destroy or return the equipment to Equiniti by the time licensed (and therefore lawful) use of channel 69 finishes at the end of 2012. If a potential purchaser is not licensed or does not agree to modify, destroy or return the equipment to Equiniti, then the sale cannot proceed. Purchasers are required to confirm in writing to Equiniti that they have either modified the equipment to operate on channel 38 or channel 70, disposed of the equipment under the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) regulations or returned it to Equiniti. Ofcom can request purchasers provide documentary evidence of disposal or modification (and to make equipment available for inspection on request in the case of modification).

Ofcom

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 13 October 2011, Official Report, column 540W, on Ofcom, if he will place in the Library a copy of the invitation to tender produced by Ofcom inviting contractors to bid for the programme making and special events funding scheme.

Edward Vaizey: We understand that Ofcom intend to publish the information to tender document on their website.

Public Libraries

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department plans to set (a) the Local Government Group and (b) Arts Council England targets for the roll-out of the ideas and best practice arising from the Future Libraries programme.

Edward Vaizey: In line with the Local Government Association’s (LGA’s) Taking the Lead approach to sector-led improvement, which the Government support, Arts Council England (ACE) and the LGA have no intention of imposing performance targets on local authorities.
	Instead, ideas and best practice from the Future Libraries programme have been shared with local authorities throughout the life of the programme to inspire improvement across the sector. I wrote to all authorities in February enclosing a short paper outlining a number of lessons learnt from the Future Libraries programme together with additional examples of current good practice from a range of local authorities.
	The Local Government Group published a final report on the programme in August. It set out the emerging models for delivery of public library services, namely:
	Through co-location or new, non-traditional outlets and service points;
	Using external providers—trusts and charitable companies, other councils or through the private sector;
	Sharing services with other councils;
	Empowering communities to do things their own way.
	ACE will launch the libraries development initiative next month with the aim of building on the Future Libraries programme.

Radio Frequencies

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps have been taken to ensure that channel 69 is clear of programme making and special events use after September 2012.

Edward Vaizey: We understand from Ofcom that there are no Wireless Telegraphy Act licences in existence or planned to be issued which entitle licensees to make use of channel 69 for programme making and special events after September 2012 and therefore that the channel in question will be clear at that point. The Government provided funding for a scheme to compensate pre-existing channel 69 users who previously had an expectation of continued use after 2012, which has been making payments since March 2011 and will continue to do so in 2012.

Rugby: Tourism

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his Department's tourism plan is for the (a) 2013 Rugby League World Cup, (b) 2015 Rugby Union World Cup and (c) 2014 Commonwealth Games.

John Penrose: VisitBritain have already launched a four-year international marketing campaign (“You're Invited”), aimed at core and emerging markets, based on investment of almost £50 million from their funds, and additional support from the private sector, toward generating a £100 million marketing fund. Alongside this, VisitEngland will take forward a major domestic tourism campaign to promote domestic destinations, taking advantage of the ‘staycation’ effect and revitalising our domestic offer.
	VisitBritain and VisitEngland will work with the tourism industry and the tourist boards of the devolved nations, as appropriate, to maximise the economic opportunities offered by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games, the 2013 Rugby World Cup, the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup, and the 2014 Commonwealth games.

Tourism

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had on supporting regional tourism agencies as part of the growth review.

John Penrose: The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), meets regularly with destination management organisations and industry bodies. Over the next four years VisitBritain will be running a major international marketing campaign, aimed at core and emerging markets, based on investment of almost £50 million from their funds, and additional support from the private sector, toward generating a £100 million marketing fund. This will showcase Britain to the world and aims to attract 4 million extra visitors, spending £2 billion in the UK economy, which will support businesses, jobs and growth.
	VisitEngland is working closely with local areas and destinations, in line with Government's localism agenda, to grow the value of local tourism economies. This is co-ordinated through the National Strategic Framework for Tourism, which includes an action programme developed in consultation with the tourism sector. This will include a four year domestic tourism campaign to promote domestic destinations, taking advantage of the ‘staycation' effect and revitalising our domestic offer, generating up to £500 million in additional visitor spend and 5.3 million additional overnights.
	Tourism policy seeks to help improve the sector's productivity and competitiveness, in particular, to address the burden of regulation affecting the industry. The Government's Red Tape Challenge focused on the hospitality sector in May, inviting the industry and the public to identify regulations holding back the industry and stifling growth. Alongside this, the Government have set up an industry task force, led by senior industry figures, which is working on identifying rules, regulations and inspections impeding the sector, and which might be cut, modified or abolished.
	The Government's plans for promoting the growth of the visitor economy are set out in detail in the paper, “Government Tourism Policy” published in March 2011, and available at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/7896.aspx